The Spring 2010 issue of Countdown and Countdown for Kids will begin arriving next week. We wanted to give you a heads-up on what’s in the coming issue to help spread the word about this exciting new idea. The Spring 2010 issue features stories about the scientific advances being made possible by JDRF’s nPOD program, the promise of our new partnership on regeneration with GNF/Novartis and a primer on why we need Congress to approve the Special Diabetes Program.
JDRF also wanted to let you know about a new feature that will be introduced in the Spring issue of Countdown for Kids and on JDRF Kids Online: an annual writing contest. For the first time, JDRF is inviting kids and teens ages 8 to 18 to submit a 200-400 word piece about life with type 1 diabetes. Kids may write about almost anything: what’s been learned about diabetes, the challenges of living with diabetes, personal tips and tricks for managing the disease or hopes and dreams for the future. These pieces can be emotional, humorous, hopeful, frustrating or forward-looking. All submissions are due to writingcontest@jdrf.org by June 1.
The authors of the first 25 submissions will get a Jonas Brothers diabetes military-style dog tag; the first-place winner will have his or her work published in the Fall 2010 issue of Countdown for Kids and posted on JDRF Kids Online www.kids.jdrf.org. Judging will be by a panel of Countdown writers and editors.
This contest will give kids and teens a chance to share personal stories while enabling JDRF to feature the voices of more members of the JDRF family. We hope you will encourage your kids and/or teens to participate. If you have any questions about the contest, please contact Sarah Pollak Sullivan via e-mail at ssullivan@jdrf.org.
